FIGHTING BEGINS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 697, 25 February 1933, Page 1

FIGHTING BEGINS.

Japan Launches Offensive in Jehol. CHINESE DEFEND STUBBORNLY. ! United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received February 25, 12.15 p.m.) PEKIN, February 24. ; Japan began an offensive yesterday ■ which resulted in heavy casualties on j both sides. The fate of Jehol hinges on the j ability of the Chinese to hold two i strategic points, Chi-feng, 92 miles j northward from Chengteh, the provincial capital, and Lingyuan, 75 miles ! eastward. According to miHtary ob- j servers here, these are the only two passes through the mountains and are believed to be stoutly defended. The latest advices from the front j indicate that there have been no major developments, causing the belief that : the Japanese hitherto have merely been i manoeuvring for positions before start- j ing the real offensive. Pekin reports say that the Japanese ; offensive actually began yesterday, in i spite of the fact that the ultimatum had not been delivered at Nanking until last night, when it was promptly rejected. With forces totalling 40,000, including 10,000 men of the Manchukuo army, the Japanese are striking north-west-wards from the Chinchow area. The Japanese attack opened in the early hours of the morning following a three-day bombardment. General Tangyulin, Governor of Jehol, ordered the withdrawal of the Chinese forces from Peipiao and Naniing, which were subjected to severe aerial bombardment. There were also a number of terrific onslaughts by Japanese and Manchukuo infantry, which resulted in heavycasualties to both sides, the Chinese using machine-guns with terrible advantage against the advancing troops, but eventually retiring when the aerial and artillery bombardment caused heavy losses to the defenders. The Chinese have established a strong line on the hills in front of Chaoyang, overlooking the valley along which the Japanese must pass to the city', which is their immediate objective, the route being under artillery and machine-gun fire. It is believed that the Chinese can hold up the advance for a very considerable time. The Japanese Sixth Division and Fourth Independent Cavalry Brigade (more than 20,000 men) left Tungliao in a blinding snowstorm, with the temperature ten degrees below freezing point, advancing into the northern portion of Jehol. They encountered a force of Chinese irregulars, whom they dispersed twenty miles south-west of Tungliao. It is believed that Kailu is their immediate objective. Chinese official reports anticipate another attack in the vicinity of Kailu, where a large force of Manchukuo troops is concentrated. Military aerodromes have been established at Kailu, Chifeng, Chaoyang and Chengteh. The Chinese possess a fair number of bombing and scouting ’planes, with American-trained pilots. They also possess a number of skilled foreign military men, including General Sutton, formerly British right-hand-man of the late Mukden warlord, Chang Tso-lin, under whose direction the Mukden arsenal was originally established. At Tungliao, on Thursday, 10,000 of Marshal Chang Hsueh-liang’s volunteers, who had been stationed at Lupei under General Chang Kweilin, pledged their allegiance to Manchukuo. General Chang Kweilin was appointed a subcommander under General Chang Haipeng, commanding the Manchukuo forces at Tungliao.